In the case of this festival, "mayhem" stands for $12 beers, walls of death (the pitlike ritual that sends attendees running full speed into one another), eardrum annihilation and the possibility of heatstroke. But if you play it right, Mayhem has plenty to offer even the reserved metal fan. This year's headliners are all kings of their respective crafts. Rob Zombie is the industrial horror rock boss (though in recent years he has been using his gory theatrics for B-movies instead of music). He'll be joined by Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison and ex-Marilyn Manson guitarist John 5. Nu-metal pioneers Korn, whose '98 release Follow the Leader was very much the Nevermind of the genre, has the kilted, string-rattling stuff to trigger both strip teases (Coming Undone) and absolute destruction (see Woodstock '99). Speed metal titans Lamb of God are brutally persistent, and often the instigators of the aforementioned "walls of death."

Long before "player" was associated with anything but competitors in sports or games, a young Antonio Hardy was seducing ladies like a kindergarten Casanova (or as he raps on Cause I Can Do It Right, like "Blackanova"). Later he'd pose for Playgirl, collaborate with Barry White (a move that brought together two generations of unique romanticists) and become a leading hip-hop producer and MC. Allmusic says Kane's "best material ranks among the finest hip-hop of its era, and his sex-drenched persona was enormously influential on countless future would-be players." Agreed.

Christian metalcore band the Devil Wears Prada (what, you thought this was a screening of the Meryl Streep film?) will play back-to-back shows at the Orpheum next week. And that means enough guttural screaming to mimic a cougar mating ritual or signal the zombie apocalypse. Incidentally, the band is releasing a conceptual "zombie EP" later this month, inspired by Max Brooks' book The Zombie Survival Guide.

Times correspondent Carole Liparoto can be reached at carole.liparoto@gmail.com.